Pedro's thread

[Breath-of-Power]

Who knows how far this thread will go. I decided tomorrow I'll try a smoke free day. And I'll keep posting important info about it on this thread. This is my quittrain thread. Feel free to comment.

tomorrow is first day of october. I can say for now that my mind is rebelling against the idea of not having cigarettes around (as I have none now with me). sSO this is something. a mind feeling the lack of the object.

[Doreensfree]

Hi Pedro....Welcome aboard ....

How far will this go ???.....all the way to Freedom if that's where you want to be ...

First ...Great decision to quit and take your life back ...

Knowledge ...you need to totally understand this addiction...arm yourself to fight ...

We have tons of great info here ....

Watch all the videos too...they cover most subjects....

We have some great Newbies here to travel along with ...

Looking forward to travelling along side you ,in your journey ...

[jillar]

Good decision Pedro and did you know that your quit starts the minute you put out your last cigarette and since you don't have any cigs left why not just start now?

[johnny5]

I agree with @jillar once you put that last cigarette out, you really have quit, at least until you light up again.  Why not start your quit now? 

 

It is good to take it one day at a time but quitting for good is very doable.  Focus on making it through tomorrow, or the next hour, or the next minute, etc.  With time smoke free, you will see that you are much better without cigarettes.

 

As far as your mind rebelling against the idea of not having cigarettes around, that is the mind of nicotine addiction.  The key is to rid yourself of nicotine and you will adjust physically and emotionally with time to being a nonsmoker.  Any early struggles are worth it long term.

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by johnny5

[Mac#23]

Welcome aboard Pedro,

 I sounds like you made up your mind to quit smoking. Don't let that junkie thinking persuade you to second guess your choice to quit. It is a choice to be a happier and healthier version of yourself after all. To truly accomplish this endeavor to quit smoking requires 100% commitment. So, read all the articles and watch all the videos available to you on this site. Knowledge is power and will help you with your quit. Just grab a seat and enjoy the ride.

[Mee]

Hi Pedro!  So glad you have decided to quit and include us on your journey.  Everyone here is ready to lift you up and help you across that finish line.  Quitting seems like a monumental task but is just a matter of committing to not smoking.   When those craves come, you learn to redirect those thoughts.  Take the time to educate yourself and hang around and get to know us.  You can do this! 

[JohnQ]

Hello Pedro, 

 

Your presence here indicates that you have a desire to quit.  Take this desire 1 step further: Educate yourself about the Nicotine addiction.  It is essential to understand the addiction to enable you to kick this nasty addiction for good.  Stay on the forum and keep posting.

Welcome aboard the Quittrain, destination FREEDOM!

 

19 hours ago, Pedro said:

... I'll try a smoke free day ...

 

 

[NADA]

20 hours ago, Pedro said:

Who knows how far this thread will go. I decided tomorrow I'll try a smoke free day.

 

I probably "quit" for a day between 50-100 times before I pledged to really quit.  There's nothing wrong with not smoking for a day, but in the grand scheme of things it won't make a difference in the big picture of life. It is only by breaking the shackles of this addiction that you'll achieve true freedom, improved health, and a real sense of accomplishment.

Look at all the educational material here, learn from other's experiences, and make the commitment to quit once and for all.  It's doable and worth any short term discomfort. 

Edited October 1, 2020 by BKP

[Boo]

Welcome aboard Pedro.  Good call on giving up the smokes.

 

22 hours ago, Pedro said:

I can say for now that my mind is rebelling against the idea of not having cigarettes around (as I have none now with me).

 

You are an addict.  You're going to want a smoke from time-to-time.

 

There's a saying around here: "A crave is not a command."  

 

There will be times when you want to smoke but resist the urge because you've made a commitment to yourself.  Those are the moments where quits are built.

 

A bit of momentary discomfort for a lifetime of freedom is a good deal.

[Breath-of-Power]

the jibber jabber of the mind of an addict (me), I noticed it dramatically has command over one's self.

not-smoking produces a very negative and anxious mindset in me, at least in the first four hours, I wont go in details but the mind, speaking about my case, really shakes it all psychologically and produces physical symptons. !!

I have a tendency to panic over little things. not-smoking is one of them.

I also cant get past the first 8 hours, waking hours without lightning one up. But on the bright side there is inside a joyfull side to the struggle, which, as they say on the internet, "....is real" {the struggle is real}. 

...the struggle is indeed real and the mind is real and as a charles bukowski poem goes "....it cries, it demands, it wont say no".
my weakness is not so much on fighting back the negative mindset, but when it gets good I have the weakness of wanting a reward...... because I know it will be a cigarette that will taste good....

dont know what else to say

 

Pedro

 

[jillar]

21 minutes ago, Pedro said:

I also cant get past the first 8 hours, waking hours without lightning one up.

 

You CAN get past it Pedro, we're all proof of it! You just have to want to quit smoking more than you want to smoke! When you're truly ready to quit you will do anything you can to keep it. Even if that means going through some discomfort to get there

[Doreensfree]

Your a Nicotine addict ....so of course you will want to smoke ....

To Quit you have to make a promise to yourself you will NOT smoke ..no matter what ......

You have to ask yourself that important question ...

Do I want to be a smoker or not ????

To succeed you need to want it more than anything ....

We are all here because we made that commitment....

It's doable ....

 

[Mee]

Pedro, we have all experienced that mindset.  It kept me hooked for 42 years.  Once you make the commitment to push past that thought, it becomes easier.  Freedom is wonderful and empowering.

[Mac#23]

Pedro whether you know it or not. You are stronger than the addiction. You just need to have faith and believe in yourself. We will support you all the way but we can not do it for you. Kick that junkie thinking to the curb and live a happier and healthier life.

[Breath-of-Power]

Trying to come up with a mantra that when thought about, or recited, calls awareness to what we read about tobacco, quitting, and all related.

 

For start, it has to be positive in the sense that it is affirmation that does not include words like (no, not, don't).

 

It also should/could be directed to the collective unconscious of the smoking habit.

 

examples:

 

(to be thought about.)

 

 

[Breath-of-Power]

I'm back again on the train. I am used to think that kicking the habit requires a lot of willpower. I have been on this loop for some years now (5+). Allen Carr says it does not require willpower, which is something I honestly, deep down, don't believe, honestly. I really believe it is willpower, but I am also open, really, to eye opening comments on wether or not it is a question of willpower. Now we would have to define willpower here, I suppose. Willpower, and there is also another term that is not willpower but is related to it: mindpower. I don't think I have willpower, nor mindpower. as stated above I have tried willpowering my way into a quit. failed failed failed. 

 

One thing I really like about Allen Carr is is realization that he had one day. It resonates with some books I read (not about smoking). There is deep down a point where one can realize that it is easy to cut down on anything just like that. I believe Allen reached that "point". And that is what he carries with him to help smokers. and trully be an advocate of this "point of realization" that exists in each human being.

 

I plan to linger in this forum to help me quit.  Helping myself.

And please be open to debunk my thoughts/ideas in this forum and in this thread.

 

love to all

[DenaliBlues]

Hi, Pedro! Welcome back. Is this Day 1 for you? Hoping you are ready to take the plunge. The loop you describe of quitting and relapsing and quitting again is very demoralizing. If you can stick with your quit you will feel so much better.

 

The "willpower" debate is an interesting one. Smoking is a very powerful addiction. And because it is an addiction - not just a habit or indulgence - it must be met with determination, grit and compassion. No rationing or half-measures will work, in my opinion.

 

Whether or not you use the word "willpower," the only way to stop smoking is to actually stop smoking. I do believe that everyone can quit... even people who perceive themselves to have "no willpower." But it does require us to grind through some difficult times when the temptation to smoke again will be strong. The most important thing is to take smoking off the table and to focus on the fact that you are gaining a beautiful freedom by shaking off this addiction. 

[overcome]

@Pedro tough cycle your in right now, as DB says its easier not to smoke.

Grit, determination, willpower, mindset etc. yes you need some of that but for me knowing the why as Allen Carr describes made it so much easier to stay quit. 

All this quitting stuff is actually simple, just don't smoke, its just not easy. 

All the best on your quit.

[Reciprocity]

I would agree that there are times when sheer willpower came in very handy during the early days of my quit but what I started with was an absolute and unwavering commitment to quit smoking. I focused my entire life for the next few weeks on changing the way I thought about smoking and developing a set of tools that would help me through the really challenging days (and there were plenty of those!). I read a lot of material on the subject and relied to a large degree on people from this forum for support throughout the first year of my quit.

 

You can't beat that combination; knowledge & support from those who gone through the same process!

[Doreensfree]

Hi Pedro..

I used to compare myself to a little hamster  running around on that 

Wheel.failure after failure .

Your over thinking.

Quitting is a matter of choice .you light up that cigarette or you dont .

There is only one rule ..Dont smoke. once you have made that decision and stick to it ,it all comes clear.

 Now ..willpower just might help you along sometimes .

It doesnt matter how ,just get yourself to Freedom !!

 

 

[johnny5]

Welcome back, Pedro, and good call on trying to quit smoking again.  It really is something that you can do for good.

 

I am a huge believer in Allan Carr's book and it really changed my overall view of smoking.  That being said, I didn't agree with 100% of what he wrote.

 

The biggest thing I personally took from Carr's book was that smoking provided NOTHING of positive value to me.  All of it was negative....even that rush or feeling of relief after lighting up after not smoking for a while isn't really a feeling of relief....it is just putting your body, and mind, through more torture as you go through the roller coaster of quitting and relapsing.

 

Regarding the term "willpower" @Doreensfree may have put it best.  You are overthinking it.  Carr's writings are very useful but at the end, his point is life as a non-smoker is far better.  Realize that nothing good comes from smoking and that lighting up will only set you back into the same unhealthy cycle you are going through. 

 

Try to focus on the positives of not smoking as it does get better over time.

[Breath-of-Power]

gee...back on smoking again. I realize I am a mess. I don't know who I am. if i'd go into details you'd understand that I am not tuned with society. Schizo, living in my world of thinking, and don't have much to show for to other people. They just lower the eyes when I pass, or do the opposite and take a bite at me. No job, no money, only mom and rest of family which shies away from me. SO I dont really have friends. 

 

I understand that I need to show who I am. And that is by showing up. With the pandemic I retreated out of society. Even more.  So I  live in my world. 

 

It's dangerous to be a nobody. 

[Doreensfree]

Never give up ..giving up...

You can do it ..you just need it badly enough 

We can give you all the tools ..but its  down  to you to do the work .

Everyone is someone..

Lift your head up..Dust off..and start again !!

[Gus]

So you just keep showing up here. You keep telling your story. As much or as little as you wish. It helps. It really does. You reach out. We assist. We can help. We want to see you succeed.